the neighbourly...how north glenora got to yimby in andrew gregory’s blog post about his...
TRANSCRIPT
THE NEIGHBOURLY
In This Issue
CRIHI Plenary
Upcoming Workshops
How North Glenora got
to YIMBY
A Prayer of Confession
Homeless Count 2016
Join our Learning Com-
munity!
Save the Dates!
CRIHI PLENARY Thursday, October 27 10am –12pm @ Beth Israel Syna-gogue Come meet our new staff and be part of this vital initiative.
Brunch will be provided! (see flyer on page two)
Upcoming Workshops: Homes 4 our Neighbours!
Saturday, October 29 1-4pm @ Riverbend United Church Neighbourhoods invited: Riverbend, Terwillegar, Greenfield, Bulyea,
Henderson Estates, Haddow
Saturday, Nov. 5 1-4pm @ Bethel Community Church Neighbourhoods invited: Kernohan, Belmont, Sifton Park, Overland-
ers, Canon Ridge, Bannerman, Hairsine, Kirkness
If these neighbourhoods are home for you or your faith community,
please help spread the word. Invite a neighbour, and come join the
conversation! Share your perspective on how communities can re-
spond to new projects and new neighbours finding home next door.
RSVP to [email protected]
A monthly publication by the Capital Region Interfaith Housing Initiative (CRIHI) October 2016
A Workshop advertisement posted in the Riverbend/Terwillegar neighourhood
“A diverse mix of Edmonto-
nians experience home-
lessness, including young
men, families, teenagers
and seniors.
In 2014, children and youth
(under the age of 24) ac-
counted for approximately
29% of the homeless popu-
lation.
In 2014, 46% of people ex-
periencing homelessness
identified as aboriginal.”
How North Glenora Got to YIMBY In Andrew Gregory’s blog post about his community’s journey to a YIMBY (yes in my back yard) attitude, he chronicles the steps towards changing attitudes in one of Edmonton’s oldest neighbourhoods. North Glenora has a long-standing history, and as Right at Home Housing Society set their shovels to work to build its latest property at the old Westmount Presbyterian Church site, it was not met without opposition. Andrew states there are eight steps towards creating a YIMBY attitude: 1) Establish Shared Objectives “Having this shared understanding in place up front gave us a touchstone when discussions got heated or when shortcuts began to look appealing.” 2) Openness “It’s amazing what you can learn when you ask questions and are prepared to listen.” 3)Transparency “We took careful notes of everything that was said and agreed to in the meetings, and followed up by sending detailed minutes to all participants so that they could review them, make any comments or chang-es, and then approve.” 4) Neutrality, Diversity and Inclusion “One of the strengths of our committee was that it contained a diversity of voices from the community – neutral, supportive and opposed.” “…we would only speak on behalf of what we believed to be the best interest of the communi-ty…” 5) Courage “To address the fear of affordable housing we decided to take it head on…unblinking and in as emotionless a way as possible. We realised that these concerns were valid and that the community deserved the right to ask them…and to hear the developer’s answers.” 6) Respect “We respected WPC’s right to execute their vision for the property while asserting our rights as neighbours to be consulted on something that would directly affect us.” 7) Leaps of Faith “We asked WPC and their partners to take a leap up-front to involve the community in their plans…risking delays, confrontation and hundreds of man-hours. Once the engagement was complete and the development plan submitted North Glenora had to take a leap…to trust that the developer would deliver on their promises.” 8) Fruits of Our Labour “Peter Amerongen from Habitat Studio described all of the different ways that resident input had been incorporated into the materials and design of the building. Cameron Macdonald of Right at Home Society shared that they would pursue a mixed-income model and described how the new drive aisle had been re-designed in order to address safety concerns. They both went on to answer every question raised by the community…well prepared and confident that they understood our perspective.” “We agreed that our shared understanding was hard fought, but, as in life, things that are worth-while are rarely easy.” Article reprinted with the permission of Right at Home Housing Society. To see Andrew’s full blog story, visit him on the web at: https://ohthatandrew.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/getting-to-yimby/
The future multi-family housing units in North Glenora
Why Confession?
The discipline of confes-
sion shows up in numer-
ous faith traditions. It is
widely recognized as a
very healthy practice as it
promotes honest reflec-
tion with oneself, with
another, and with God.
A collective confession
(like this example from a
Mennonite author) may
be spoken or sung; but it
serves to recognize
where we as a communi-
ty are failing, to
acknowledge our part in
that failure, and to help us
claim our responsibility to
help make right what has
gone wrong.
Text by Kenneth I. Morse, Church of the Brethren
A Prayer of Confession
God of all Living, we make our confession: too long we have wast-ed the wealth of our lands.
God of all loving, renew our compassion and open our hearts while we reach out our hands.
Brothers and sisters of mine are the hungry who sigh in their sor-row and weep in their pain.
Sisters and brothers of mine are the homeless who wait without shelter from wind and from rain.
People are they, men and women and children, and each has a heart keeping time with my own.
People are they, persons made in God’s image; so what shall I offer them—bread or a stone?
God of all living, we make our confession: too long we have wast-ed the wealth of our lands.
God of all loving, renew our compassion and open our hearts while we reach out our hands.
Strangers and neighbours, they claim my attention, they sleep by my doorstep, they sit by my bed.
Neighbours and strangers, their anguish concerns me, and I must not feast till the hungry are fed.
“Every faith has traditions that mandates the relationship be-tween the human being and G-d (however you refer to Him or Her) and mandates the relationship between human beings: lov-ing thy neighbor. What’s more important to G-d, that you have a relationship with Him or that we love each other?” In her reflection, Batya highlighted how at Babel, humanity’s offense was uniting together to usurp God. So God disciplined and scattered them by confusing their speech. But in the time of Noah, humanity’s offense was against each oth-er (murder, corruption, theft). There God chose to destroy hu-manity; preserving only Noah and his family.
Excerpt from a reflection Rabbanit Batya led at the Festival of Faiths
Homeless Count 2016
Homeless count 2016 is on October 19-20. Volunteer this year, and you will see firsthand that homelessness happens to all kinds of peo-ple: families, singles, young people and seniors. How many of us have been there? Couch surfing at family or friend’s; spending a night at the shelter, or being forced to spend a night in the car. Come help gather information in this year’s homeless count so that those providing help better know where and how to respond.
Volunteers will act as enumerators, recording responses to a short survey designed to gather basic demographic information from peo-ple they encounter over the course of their shift. Teams of volunteers fan out across the city to conduct the survey on predetermined routes, including areas close to drop-in centres, libraries, temporary employment agencies, bottle depots, and other places. Your volun-teer contributions are part of a much larger community effort during the Homeless Count. Many service providers, outreach teams, public agencies, and community partners are also supporting this valuable work
Only volunteers over the age of 18 will be accepted for enumerating positions. There may be limited positions available for assistance with the orientation training and at base sites for individuals age 16 or 17. To volunteer, visit www.homelesscount.ca
Who are these people?
Who has trouble affording
a home?
People with disabilities
or mental health con-
cerns
Seniors on fixed in-
comes
Nurses, plumbers,
dental hygienists
The person stocking
shelves at the local
grocery store
Restaurant servers,
hair stylists and bar-
bers
Your child’s preschool
teacher, daycare pro-
viders,
Students at trade
schools or university,
young families.
Note: By law, Canadi-
ans are not allowed to
choose their neighbours
based on the colour of
their skin, their age or
ability or identity, what
they believe, or where
they work.
Contact Us
To learn more about what we
do and join us in the work.
Rabbanit Batya Friedman:
(780) 938-5558
Pastor Mike Van Boom:
(780) 554-2703
Follow us!
Check out our website at:
www.interfaithhousing.ca
Join our Learning Community!
The Interfaith Housing Initiative was formed in response to a City of Edmonton and Province of Alberta commitment: the Ten-year-plan to End Homelessness. Faith leaders from across the city came to-gether to say, “Addressing homelessness is important to our com-
Capital Region Interfaith Housing Initiative
1135—103 Street
Edmonton, AB T5J OX5
www.interfaithhousing.ca
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Religious and spiritual communities working to end homelessness in Edmonton
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A good story reminds us of what is possible. The work of providing help, support and home to a neighbor is nothing new, and people of faith tell many stories that inspire. Stories from today, or stories from a thousand years ago; we want to hear them! Share the sto-ries of compassion, hospitality that inspire you and your community so that their sharing can inspire others around Edmonton.
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